Bonding Progress

[SirBunny]

So this was my first “real” bonding session and I think it went well. I had tried a month ago, but it was in semi-neutral territory and Maby had only been spayed for a month, so I separated after sensing things were about to go south after a few minutes.

 

This time it was in completely neutral territory, on my kitchen floor. Pretty much the entire 15 minute session was a “bunny standoff” where they both smushed their heads against eachother demanding to be groomed. I was petting them both heavily the entire time, mainly to keep Moby calm because he seemed really on edge. Maby seemed much more relaxed and adventurous. I ended the session after 15 minutes of this because I figured it was a good first session and I didn’t want it to end on a bad note.

 

It doesnt seem like either of them would back down and groom the other – should I just let them sort it out next time?

 

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

I think what you did was perfect! I agree it was a good first session

It’s too soon to know who will back down, so for now I think working on building a calm association is great. Short time goals are also great.

I would do a couple more sessions exactly the same way. Maybe aim for 20 min, but nothing too much longer at first.

After that what you can do is pet pet pet for a while, then pause for a few seconds or so and see what happens. If the seem tense, go back to petting. Then break for a bit longer, and see. This will help you safely see what their behavior will be like. Sometimes you can find an “itchy spot” on their head and ears that might trigger grooming when you stop petting. You might also see one move away, one start nipping, one try to mount, etc.

In my experience, whenever I’ve tried to “let them sort it out” too early on, things escalate very quickly and you can rapidly get into a cycle of aggression. Once they are a little more calm around each other, little nips and chases don’t seem to escalate to full on scuffling as easily and they can more safely have dominance displays that don’t lead to fights or hard bites.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Nutmeg]

While I’m still in the progress of bonding mine I have been able to finally achieve mutual grooming.

What DanaNM suggested above is what worked for me. I pet them both (using one hand to mix their scents) and when I would stop for a few seconds one would lift its head up (wondering where the petting went) and would groom the other ones head. It was Penny that gave in and groomed first, but she still demanded them back and finally after a few more sessions Rupert started grooming her. – That took over a week thought.

~ My problem is now when one grooms the others head it leads to face humping hahahah but you hopefully wont have that problem.

Keep us posted!

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